Rubber crumb is an intermittent form of an elastic polymer found during the manufacturing process of synthetic rubber. The crumb pieces are formed from either a latex suspension or polymer solution using a coagulation process. The rubber crumb may then be pressed into a block, or bale of rubber. Each bale may be about 25 kg to about 35 kg. The rubber bale may then be packaged for shipment to customers, which can include manufacturers of automotive parts, printer rollers, etc. Typically, the outer surfaces of the rubber bales are inspected by human or video inspection for appearance, including looking for contamination in the form of any material that contrasts to the routine color and tint of the finished product. Such contamination can lessen the utility of the rubber crumb and hence its value. Any contamination detected may be removed from the surface of the bale. However, because the rubber bales may not be translucent, these methods of inspection only view a limited amount of contents of each bale. For instance, less than about 5% of the contents of each bale may be inspected. It has further been found that contamination smaller than about 0.5 mm is difficult for technicians to detect visually. As such, there is a need for improved inspection system, such as inspecting the rubber crumb before it is pressed into a bale.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.